by J Peach
After slipping on a pair of black boy-shorts with the matching lace bra, I went to my closet to find something casual but cute to wear.
I settled on a white tank top and a pair of dark blue, ripped skinny jeans. After a lot of tugging I managed to get my jeans over my thighs. They were a tight fit given they were stretchy jeans.
I stood in the mirror and took in my weight gain. With everything that was going on I was stressing too much and food had become my comfort. The added weight didn’t look bad. My hips had spread and my thighs had gotten a bit bigger. The pug to my stomach even looked good.
But now that my clothes were becoming too tight, I needed to start working out.
With my mind set on that, I finished getting ready.
I stepped into my Qupid Onyx-08 velvet gray round toe pumps and then pulled on my grey cardigan. I didn’t want to overdo it with the accessories so I went with my sliver heart pendant and my sterling silver cuff.
I didn’t have time to bump my ends with the flat irons, I’d already kept Ron waiting long enough. Instead, I settled on combing my hair into a ponytail.
I decided to go with my natural beauty so I didn’t put on any makeup. After swiping my lips with some gloss, I was ready to go.
I grabbed my Alexander Wang Kristen satchel bag from the closet and left my room.
“Sorry if I took too long.”
Ron didn’t reply back, he simply stared at me. “What? Is this too much? You didn’t say where we were going so I just—”
He cut off my rambling with a wave of his hand.
“No, you’re fine…” he stated, his words fading as he continued to stare.
The way those hazel eyes roamed had me feeling shy. It was as if he was seeing me instead of picturing me in a lustful way. I felt so nude from the stare that I pulled the front of the cardigan together as if to cover myself from his gaze.
My movement seemed to snap him from his daze. Looking up at me, he quickly looked away, seeming embarrassed. That had me feeling better, knowing he wasn’t staring to intentionally make me feel uncomfortable.
Clearing his throat, he stood up. “What you got on is cool, those shoes though, you might want to bring an extra pair.”
My mouth opened to question what he meant, but Ron was already shaking his head and walking towards the stairs.
“I’m not telling you so don’t ask,” he said, leaving me in my spot as he walked down the three little stairs and disappeared from my sights.
Laughing at him, I went back in my room and grabbed my gray flats.
Once I got to the living room where I expected to find Ron, he wasn’t in there. Going to the front door, and opening it, I peeked my head out to see he was out in his truck.
Why would he leave?
Waving the thought off, I quickly switched everything from one purse into the other before grabbing my keys. I locked the doors and walked to his truck. Once inside, I turned towards him and his hand went up.
“Don’t ask because I’m not telling you,” was his reply to my unasked question.
Hitting his shoulder, I laughed. “I wasn’t even going to ask that.” That was a lie, of course I was.
I was starting to regret agreeing to go somewhere with him without asking more questions first. It wasn’t that I was afraid he’d try something, it was the fact that Ron was fun, but very unpredictable. He’d have my black ass somewhere climbing up a damn mountain or in somebody’s plane skydiving.
“Yes, you were. You had that little flirty look in yo eyes.” He glanced at me for a short second before looking back at the road
I shook my head, laughing once more. “What flirty look? Ron, whatever. Don’t act like you know me.” He stared at me with a raised brow. “Whatever, just drive.”
“We gon’ have fun, that’s all you need to know so relax.” He patted my leg before rubbing it. Realizing what he was doing, Ron quickly pulled his hand away.
Okay.
Now he was acting kind of strange, but I didn’t say anything about it.
Chapter 23
Peaches
A sudden tension started to form as the ride got quiet. That was odd because on the phone or texting, our conversation was nonstop, but now he just seemed kind of off.
“Have you found a building yet?” I asked, trying to make conversation because it was obvious he wasn’t going to try.
“N’all, I’m still looking,” he said, glancing at me then back to the road.
Ron was looking for a building to start his own construction business. That was one thing I liked about him, he wasn’t ashamed to go for what he wanted, no matter what.
I thought it was cool that he could build and remodel houses, buildings, stuff like that.
“I told you to let me talk to King, he could probably help you find something. It’s kind of what he does, finds places, buys them and fixes them up then sells them. He doesn’t just do houses,” I explained. Ron was already shaking his head no.
“And I told you no. I’ve looked at a few places, but I don’t know if I want to be in the city or downtown. Traffic runs through both areas, so getting business I’m not worried about, it’s just location,” he replied back with a shrug.
“The city would probably be best. There’s a lot of shady business downtown and they might think you’re another scammer,” my words trailed off as Ron parked in a dusty lot. Seeing where he was taking me, I turned around and hit him.
“What the hell you hit me for?” He asked, looking at me like I had lost my mind.
“Paintballing? Are freaking serious? Ain’t no way in hell I’m going paintballing. You or no one else is shooting me.” Hell no, them little ass paintballs hurt.
“That’s good to know, but who said we’re going paintballing?” He asked, looking genuinely confused. Pointing to the sign, Ron started laughing before getting out of the truck.
“Ron, I’m not getting out,” I yelled so he could hear me. He paid my yelling no mind as he walked to my side. Once he reached my side I locked my door.
He held up his keys and shook them as he clicked the button to unlock the doors.
“Get yo ass out the car before I drag you out,” he said in a neutral tone once he opened the door.
“You wouldn’t—” I started saying.
Ron was already pulling me sideways out of the truck. “Okay, you would. Now put me down.” I wanted to slap him. “Ron, I’m not going paintballing with you, those damn balls hurt.”
Ron seemed amused as a boyish smile graced his lips.
“Peaches, come on, I’m not taking you paintballing. We gon’ have fun, though, so come on.” He held his hand out, I looked at it and then at him. Going against my better judgment, I took his hand. “I see you still can’t resist this handsome fella here,” he said playfully, making me laugh.
“Oh, I can.” I bumped into him, causing Ron to look down at me with a raised brow. My lips turned up and I rolled my eyes. “It was the smile, with the peak-a-boo white teeth showing,” I confessed.
I’d always been a sucker for a pretty smile and straight white teeth. On top of Ron’s chocolate skin, mm it was pure sexy. Clearing my throat, I looked away from him.
“So where are you taking me if it’s not paint balling?” There was a loud crackling sound that echoed. Once I heard that, I had this nervous feeling settling in the pit of my stomach.
“Just this little place I found when I moved back here.” With that same sexy smile I let him pull me to the building connected to the paintball place. I was glad we weren’t going there because there was no way I was playing with my heels on.
Oh, no!
***
Opening the doors to Crazy Pac’s, Ron gestured for me to go in.
“Thanks.” I stopped in my tracks once I walked in. “Ron, are you serious?” Looking around the place, I laughed. “Only you, I swear.”
He tugged on my hand and pulled me to the counter where he paid for wrist bands. The bands basically showed that we coul
d play everything that was in there.
Ron had brought me to a fun center. No one would have known that’s what the place was from the way it looked. From the outside it looked like an old rinky dink little place, but the inside was really nice. It didn’t just have games you played with tokens, there was laser tag, miniature golf and bumper cars. There was even batting cages. There was a lot of other stuff there as well.
“Come on.” Ron walked out of the side door where we ended up back outside by the bumper cars. “Pick your car.”
I stared at him for a long while, not believing he’d actually brought me there. It had been years since I’d been to a place like that.
“Gon’, pick your car.” He gave me a slight push.
Laughing, I showed the man my wrist band and quickly went straight for the…
“Yo ass better not get in that damn purple car,” Ron yelled while getting in a red one.
“If I do then what, Jerron?” I picked as I stepped into the purple car.
“Nothing, nothing,” was his only reply.
The cars started vibrating and I quickly hit the gas pedal while turning the wheel, trying to get away from the side rails. Once I managed to get away from the rails, I was smacked right back into them as Ron ran into me.
A scream filled laugh escaped my mouth as my body jerked. “You’re cheating! Move, Ron!” I yelled at him, still laughing.
He moved his car back and as he did I took off. Bumping a car in front of me, the lady in it turned to look at me and I started laughing. Before I could say anything to her my body jerked sideways as my car turned. There Ron’s black ass was, smiling hard as hell.
Playfully, I mugged him as I snapped, “I don’t have insurance on this damn car, Jerron! Ahhh!” A scream left my mouth as someone ran into my front, sending me backwards. I glanced to my side to see it was the same brown skin woman I had hit. “Oh, it’s like that. I’m about to tear both of y’all cars up!”
The fun began there as we bumped into each other as well as into random people. I was laughing so freaking hard that my stomach started hurting. My laughing gave mostly everyone a chance to knock my car into the rails, but it was mainly just Ron doing the bumping.
Once the cars stopped, Ron came and helped me out of my car. He glanced at the man that was checking the wrist bands or taking tickets. Ron waited until he turned around and then went over to the wooden border to get back in the bumper cars.
“Come on,” he said and I shook my head. There was like fifty people waiting in line and he wanted to cut in front of all them. Only Ron’s over grown ass. “Come on, Peaches, before you get us caught.” The playfulness in his eyes had me.
Laughing, my head shook as I took hold of his shoulders. He helped me over and pulled me to a double seated car.
Once the cars started, Ron took off, hitting everybody. I leaned against him the whole time laughing as he talked shit to the other drivers.
***
“That was crazy. That one man looked like he was ready to jump on you,” I told him, chuckling.
“He could’ve tried, he was pissed, though,” Ron said, laughing. “What you wanna do next?” He asked, stopping.
I hummed as I looked around. “I never played laser tag, let’s do that and you bet not shoot me.”
Ron shook his head. “Of course I will, where’s the fun if I didn’t?”
I smacked my lips and he led us over to the building. Just like with the bumper cars we showed a lady our wrist bands. After we had our gear on, we went through separate doors which led to a big black room that had neon lights on different big black posts. Seeing movement, I hide behind one then yelled out.
“Ron!” I peeked around the pole, then quickly ran to another. “Ron, I’m scared of the dark!” I yelled out to him again, I heard somebody laugh behind me and let out a scream before shooting. Coming face to face with a tall, brown chick, I put my hand over my chest.
“You scared the hell out of me? Don’t you make noise when you walk?” Panting, I stared at the tall woman, who didn’t answer me. Okay… “Ron!” I called out to him because that chick was freaking me out and I didn’t want to have to beat her ass in that place for being weird.
I looked behind to see if I saw Ron, when I didn’t, I turned back to the girl, but she was gone.
Oh hell no!
Slowly moving from my spot, I turned to see a white man. I jumped out of the way just in time before he could shoot me. With my gun already raised, I pointed and shot him in the chest, making his green light go out.
“Damn, babe she got you,” the tall black woman from before said, coming from behind a black post.
Her color was red, the same as mine. Didn’t that mean she was on my team?
“Wait, aren’t we supposed to be trying to shoot him, not setting me up? We’re the same color,” I stated, not understanding at all. Laser tag wasn’t my thing so I didn’t really understand the rules.
“Color doesn’t mean anything, really, not to us anyway. We set you up then kill you. I’m the weird girl in the dark and he’s the shooter. I have no aim,” she stated with a nonchalant shrug.
“So you freaked me out for no reason?” I asked her.
“That’s part of the setup. Dammit!” She cussed as her light went out.
Seeing that someone was still shooting, I quickly moved behind a black post. “Fucker shot me while I was talking, rude asshole,” the lady fussed.
I held my mouth as I started laughing. That’s what her ass got for trying to set me up.
“Peaches, I know you’re in here, where you at?” Ron called out to me.
I peeked out before I started to tip-toe run to the next post in my heels.
“I see you, Peaches. You’re scared of the dark, I’m trying to take you to the light. Come on, baby, don’t hide from me,” Ron pushed, trying to get me out.
I slid down the post to the ground and let out a grunt.
“Ah, shit, my ankle! Fuck!” I cussed out loud, holding my gun up. “Ow! Ron, I twisted my damn ankle. Aw, sss.” I moaned out, sniffing. “I think it’s broken, Ron, can you help me up?”
“Where are you?” He asked, making me roll my eyes.
“Behind, the post,” I told him.
“Which one, Peaches?” This time I smacked my lips. “Don’t be smacking yo damn lips, I’m trying to help you.”
“A green one, aw, Ron, it hurts,” I moaned loudly, hearing his footsteps coming closer. I held my breath with my gun pointing upwards. Again I glanced around the post and saw him. I ducked back down. “I’m right here.” As I said that, I heard nothing else after. No footsteps or breathing for that matter. I peeked around the post and I didn’t see Ron. “Where the hell he go?” I mumbled to myself.
“Who-who.” Hearing a whistle behind me, I fell down to the floor and shot at the same time he did, causing both our lights to go out.
“You shot me.” Disbelief seeped its way into my voice as I stared at Ron, shocked, seriously not believing he’d just shot me.
He helped me up, laughing. “You played hurt so we even. How you gon’ try to play me like I don’t know yo ass, Peaches. I know every little trick you got,” he reminded and I went to hit. But before I could he grabbed my wrist. “Abusive, aren’t we?”
“You shot me.” Why I was so shocked that he had was beyond me.
Laughing, he started to pull me through what seemed like a maze, which lead us to a door.
We exited and came to the front.
“So you like shooting women, huh? That’s good to know.” I wasn’t really upset that he shot me.
He looked down at me, his eyes locked with mine. “Are you really mad I shot you?” He asked and I nodded. “Well, you shot me and I ain’t pissy. Fo’real, Peaches?”
With a roll of my eyes, I folded my arms and nodded again before turning away from him. I wasn’t mad or anything, I was just playing with him.
“Can we go now?” I asked, seeming disinterested in being there.
&
nbsp; “Fo’real, though? Damn.” Not giving a reply, Ron let out a sigh that caused a smile to come to my lips. It quickly left as a scream slipped through. Ron had picked me up and literally tossed my ass in the air before catching me bridal style. The action caused my heart to race. “When did you become such a damn girl?” He asked, carrying me out.
“You could’ve dropped me, you ass, I do not like you.” I tried hard to hide my smile as I looked away from him. “And I’ve always been a girl, you should know that much. You’ve met her more than once,” I mumbled lowly as I peeked up at him through my lashes. “Or do you need your memory refreshed?”
He looked down at me and he laughed. “Mm, tempting. But I remember everything, even the little black mole on your right lip. Baby girl, that’s a memory that’ll never be erased,” he said, licking his bottom lip.
His eyes stared at me with such intensity that I believed it was an unforgettable memory. Blood rushed to my cheeks and I knew Ron noticed because he gave that cute peek-a-boo smile. Unlike most though, he didn’t pick at the subject or at me for becoming flushed about what he said. Instead, he smiled and kept walking as the last bit of his sentence hit me.
“I have a mole?” I spoke my thoughts out loud.
Again, he looked down at me and started laughing which had blood once again coming to my cheeks. “Stop laughing, it’s not funny.”
“The redness to your face is cute. But yeah, you have a mole. How do you not know that. Don’t you check yourself out?” He questioned with a raised brow.
“Yeah, I just never saw a mole.” That wasn’t a lie.
Laughing, he put me down. “You’re a bad lair, Peaches. Plus, if you’re not trying to memorize what you’ll miss, you wouldn’t notice. Come on.” Placing his hand on the small of my back we started walking, or rather, he was walking me.
I was stuck in my thoughts about the mole, wondering if he had me mistaken for someone else.
With that thought, I made a mental note to check when I got home.